Earlier this year, salted caramel made it to my Top 10 food trends I want to see die in 2013 blog post, but the year is ending and its still going strong.
Salted caramel is outselling chocolate as the most popular confectionary flavour. I cant deny the flavour is here to stay, but is it really that infatuating?
It is not that I hate salted caramel I actually like it a lot but its become so overdone and predictable it has lost its creative spark and appeal.
The flavour combination has exploded in North America in the last five to 10 years, even though the first signs of it were in Brittany, France in the 1800s, where its early roots were in biscuit or cookie making. Salt was used to preserve butter and the butter would be used to make sweet cookies and eventually other sweets too.
Salty sweet desserts are also very traditional in Thailand; they use salt in mango desserts, coconut desserts, sweet sticky rice and more.
But lets not undersell ourselves here. Anyone remember Take me out to the ball game? And what would you buy there? Cracker Jack, an American snack introduced in 1896 made of caramel popcorn and salty peanuts. Isnt that a bit like salted caramel? You might also recognize Crunch n Munch from the 1960s, a Cracker Jack-inspired product.
Many professional and home cook recipes for caramel have always included salt, whether it be a pinch or a teaspoon, but salted would rarely be advertised. Makers and marketers probably didnt want to confuse people by suggesting something sweet would suddenly become salty. Now, it is the reverse and emphasizing salted caramel can increase sales. People are addicted to it.
Many people make excellent salted caramel candies and desserts in the city. It is classic, but classic can sometimes get boring. Here are some creative and refreshing salt alternatives in caramel. Theyll provide a different kind of saltiness, but thats the point. These might sound unusual but salted caramel did at one time, too. Im not suggesting simply copying ideas, but hopefully theyre at least inspiring!
Miso: I came across a white miso white chocolate truffle in San Francisco, although it might not have been its origin. It works well with caramel, too.
Fish sauce: Oh relax, it only sounds shocking. Salt in Straw in Portland makes a fish sauce caramel, Kaffir lime, and lemongrass ice cream.
Soy sauce: Tamari if youre gluten free.
Mushrooms: Umami and shiitake, porcini, candy cap and truffles are good options for this. A powder or reduced mushroom stock or broth added at the end makes for a savoury and earthy caramel sauce. Id still add a pinch of salt.
Bacon: Ugh. I cant believe I just used the bacon card. Its a bit been there, done that. I love bacon, but its also predictable.
Duck fat: Its one of the healthiest animal fats. Use it instead of butter when a caramel sauce uses butter.
Herbs:They wont give it saltiness, but the mind and palate associate herbs with savoury. Basil, bay leaf, tarragon, and rosemary are good choices.
Kombu (dried seaweed): Let a sheet infuse your caramel sauce.
Cheese: Think caramel cheesecake or caramel cream cheese frostings.
Flavoured salts: If the above are too wild and you rather play it safer, than even just trying flavoured salts.
Find out more about Mijune at FollowMeFoodie.com or follow her on Twitter @followmefoodie.
